Bearing retainer



March 27, 1962 H. 1.. POTTER BEARING RETAINER Original Filed July '7,1958 INVENTOR HOWZL L. P07 75/? ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofilice3,027,206 Patented Mar. 27, 1962 3,027,206 BEARING RETAINER Howell L.Potter, New Britain, Cnn., assiguor to The Fafnir Bearing Company, NewBritain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Continuation of applicationSer. No. 746,781, July 7, 1958. This application Mar. 7, 1961, Ser. No.94,665 2 Claims. (Cl. 308201) My invention relates to a retainer for aball bearing, and this is a continuation of application Serial No. 746,-781, filed July 7, 1958. The retainer of the type herein referred to iscast of suitable material, such as bronze, which has bendable fingers toprovide holding means for the balls.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved form of ballretainer.

It is another object to provide a ball retainer having improved meansfor holding the balls in the retainer.

Still another object is to provide a retainer which may be very simplymanufactured and which will hold the balls in proper seatings.

Another object is to provide an improved retainer with retainer fingerswhich are bendable in pairs by a tool moving either axially or radiallyof the retainer.

Other objects and various features of novelty and invention will behereinafter pointed out or will become apparent to those skilled in theart.

Briefly stated, in a preferred form of the invention, I provide anannular ring retainer having a plurality of circumferentially spacedholes or pockets for the reception of balls. Between the pockets andextending generally radially inwardly are fingers provided with suitableseats for the balls in the pockets.

At the radially outer sides each hole or pocket has a pair of bendablefingers which are preferably concentric both inside and outside witheach other and with the interposed ball pocket. These generally radiallyoutwardly extending ball retaining fingers between adjacent ball pocketspresent facing convex surfaces which may be engaged by a tool movingeither axially or radially of the retainer so as to spread theseadjacent ball retaining fingers into ball retaining positions.

The ball pockets when originally formed may be slightly smaller than thediameter of the balls to be received therein. These pockets may then bereamed out with a cherry reamer so as to form generally spherical seatsin the inwardly directed fingers or partitions between pockets sothatthe balls in the pockets rests radially inwardly in generallyspherical seats or pockets.

The outer fingers are formed of lugs in the retainer at the radiallyouter side of the retainer ring and between each pair of pockets. Theselugs are cut by a shell or trepanning tool which forms concentriccircular or cylindrical surfaces on the retainers at opposite sides ofeach pocket. The fingers so formed in the spaces between adjacentpockets thus have generally convex facing surfaces. The inner surfacesof these retaining fingers have generally speaking been formedcylindrically or circularly by the cherry reamer or other type of tooldoing the finishing of the ball pockets. Thus, when a tool, actingeither axially or radially, engages the convex surfaces of the fingersfor each ball pocket, the engaged fingers will be moved over the ballpocket so as to hold the ball in place. These curved fingers which aregenerally concentric on both the inside and outside, when bent over tendto form somewhat spherical surfaces for engagement by the balls. Thus,all of the balls may be held in the retainer.

The invention provides a retainer having several desirable advantages.The fingers described above are bendable readily without danger ofdeforming the pocket openings, and additionally, a more accuratelydimensioned pocket opening is obtained reducing friction and wear. Itwill be noted still further that less material is embodied in the ringsince it must be thinner than prior rings for the oppositely extendinglugs to have clearance with the bearing races during use. Therefore, aretainer ring in accordance with the invention is particularly adaptedfor use in high speed devices, although other uses may readily occur toone skilled in the art.

In the drawings, which show for illustrative purposes only a preferredform of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a diametral sectional view through a ball bearing, showing aretainer embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary development of a radially viewed section of theretainer;

FIG. 3 is a generally axially viewed fragment of the retainer shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating the radiallyoutwardly directed fingers bent over into ball retaining positions.

In the drawings, the complete ball bearing of FIG. 1 embodies an outerring 5, an inner ring 6 with interposed balls 7. The balls are held in aretainer 8 embodying the invention. In the particular form shown, theinner ring 6 is formed of two sections held together, as will beunderstood.

The retainer shown is cast of material such as bronze, and consists ofan annular retainer ring 8 having circumferentially equally spacedgenerally radial ball pockets 1ll-10. Between adjacent ball pockets andextending inwardly are inwardly directed fingers 1111 and extendingoutwardly in a radial direction, the retainer has integral lugs 12between each pair of pockets. These lugs are preferably cast so as tohave the surfaces adjacent the ball pockets substantially concentricwith those pockets. The pockets are normally cast of a size smaller thanthe diameter of the balls to be ultimately received therein, and thepockets are reamed out to proper size before assembly with the balls. Inthe preferred form, a cherry reamer, or similar tool, is run axiallyinto each pocket and reams a generally cylindrical shaped pocket of asize to properly receive the balls and the reaming is continued inwardlyso as to form spherical surfaces 13 at the inner end. Thus, thesespherical surfaces form a generally spherical seat for the ball toprevent them from dropping radially inwardly and to sustain them inproper position in the retainer.

The fingers 1414 formed of the lugs at the radially outer side of theretainer ring are preferably formed by a shell or trepanning tool whichforms the fingers 14-14 at opposite sides of each ball pocket. Sincethis trepanning tool cuts a circular path, the surfaces of the lugs14-14 between adjacent ball pockets present convex surfaces facing eachother. Thus, each of these radially outer retaining fingers is generallyconcentric on both its inner and outer surfaces with the ball pocket,such surfaces having been forrned by the cherry ream forming thecylindrical part of the ball pocket and the trepanning tool forming theouter surfaces of the fingers 14.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the balls generally centered in the retainer and indotted lines show the balls in their radially innermost position. InFIGS. 2 and 3 also that radially outer fingers stand up so as to permitentry of the balls radially inwardly into the pockets. The radiallyoutwardly directed fingers 14, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, may then beengaged by a tool passing between the adjacent fingers between adjacentball pockets. Such a tool will engage the facing convex surfaces andbend the fingers 14 over into the ball retaining positions, as shown inFIG. 4. These fingers 14, when bent over into ball retaining positions,tend to form generally spherical seating surfaces for the balls, andthus the latter are held 3 both radially inwardly and outwardly by suchgenerally spherical surfaces.

It will be seen that I have provided an improved form of retainerwherein the balls are secured in their respective ball .pockets and heldby generally spherical surfaces. The tools for forming the various partsare all Well known and simple in construction.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail and apreferred form illustrated, it is to be understood that variousmodifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention,as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A retainer for a ball bearing comprising a retainer ring having aplurality of generally radial holes for receiving balls, said ringhaving a single generally reduced inwardly directed finger betweenadjacent holes and bordering said holes at the radially inner sides,each of said'fingers having arcuate opposed surfaces narrowing saidholes at the radially inner ends to engage and stop the balls vfromfalling radially inwardly through the holes, said ring at the outsidehaving generally radially extending fingers substantially in the planeof said ring and of substantially less Width than said ring definingsubstantially opposite sides of each said holes at the outer end, saidlast mentioned fingers being bendable so that after the balls areinserted said last mentioned fingers are adapted to be curved on theirinner opposed faces to conform in general to the surface of the ballswhereby there is concentn'e'ity for the inner surfaces of both theinwardly and last-mentioned fingers and said last mentioned fingersbeing curved on their outer sides so as to be substantially concentricwith the inner sides.

2. A retainer for a ball bearing comprising an annular retainer ringhaving aplurality of radial holes for receiving balls, said holes havingaxes in a common radial plane, said ring being integrally formed at theradially inner part thereof and at each hole with similar surfacesnarrowing said holes at the radially inner ends to engage and stop theballs from falling radially inwardly through the holes, said ring at theradially outer side thereof being formed at each hole With a pair ofcircumferentially spaced opposed fingers extending radially outwardlyand being substantially in the plane of said ring and being ofsubstantially less width than said ring and defining substantiallyopposite sides of each of said holes at the outer end, each of saidfingers having a radially outwardly proieeting contour Which issymmetrical about said radial plane, each of said fingers having anouter convex tapered surface which is concentric with its adjacent-holeaxis and which converges toward said adjacent-hole axis in the radiallyoutward direction, each of said fingers also having an inner cylindricalsurface forming a smooth concentric continuation of the adjacent-holebore, whereby the tips'of the fingers for each hole are inherentlyformed 'for concentric inward deformation about the hole axis to retaina ball inserted therein. References Cited in the file of this patentUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,963,407 Hermann June 19, 1934 2,327,237 BadenAug. 17, 1943 2,657,106 Lovell et al Oct, 127, 1953 2,765,518 Lovell etal. Oct. 9, 1956

